Stellar Student: David Favre

David Favre said he approaches his studies with strict discipline and sometimes he even works ahead. He learned his work ethic during his training in the Marine Corps.

David Favre, a junior philosophy major from Collinsville, said enlisting in the Marine Reserves has helped him become a more disciplined student. The 26 year old has a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend law school after graduation. (Photo courtesy of David Favre)

“I have a lot more work discipline which helps a lot with my grades. I put a lot more effort in,” Favre said. “If I’m told to do something I do it and maybe even beyond. I’d say that on top of that the initiative to do things. So even if I’m not told to do something if I realize it needs to be done I do it.”

That attitude has translated into results. Favre has earned a 4.0 GPA and made the SIUE Dean’s List each semester. The junior Philosophy major has also earned the Stellar Student award from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carol A. Keane Scholarship.

As a combat engineer in the Marines, the 26-year-old must travel once a month to Peoria to train with his unit. During those weekends, Favre said he must dedicate himself entirely to his military training and often must plan around the weekend in order to complete his classwork. Favre said his time in the military has helped him balance and plan his schedule. In 2012 the Marine corporal went on a three-month deployment to the Helmand province in southern Afghanistan in 2012. Favre’s unit helped fortify forward operating bases in the Middle Eastern nation.

“The whole three months we were on missions the entire time,” said Favre, a five-year veteran. “We didn’t have any time to rest. We’d get back on one mission and we’d spend a few days and we’d already be kicked out for another mission.”

After beginning classes at SIUE in the spring of 2013, Favre found his niche, switching from German to a Philosophy major. The following fall the Collinsville resident founded the SIUE Forensic Debate Society, which is comprised of ten students of different majors.

“It just fits for me, really,” Favre said. “I love reading and writing. I kind of have a competitive nature.”

Favre plans to apply to the top law schools in the country and is considering becoming a corporate lawyer. In 2013 he completed a six-month internship as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual. Favre said his Philosophy studies have helped prepare him for law school and his future career.

“It gives me the tools to basically express what I want to in writing and also to be able to read anything that someone puts in front of me,” Favre said.

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